


A dangerous mission

by sugarandspace



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: BAMF Magnus Bane, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Mild Gore, Protective Alec Lightwood, Worried Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 06:57:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace
Summary: They are chasing a Shadowhunter who has been killing Downworlders and taking their marks. Upon finding the man's apartment they find out that the man has a creepy fascination when it comes to Magnus and his eyes. Alec doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of Magnus staying on the case, but his husband is nothing if not stubborn when he's made up his mind.





	A dangerous mission

**Author's Note:**

> Written after an anon prompt I got on tumblr:
> 
> Heeeeeeey, if you are still open for Malec prompts: could you write something where creepy bad guy is a bit of a collector of downworlder things like vampires fangs and warlock marks, and he's after magnus (either to keep magnus or take his warlock mark or he's obsessed with magnus because of his mark) and the team get together to protect/rescue him and some protective!alec thrown in there?? :) :) :)

“I don’t think you should come with us,” Alec says.

Magnus raises his eyebrows as if the suggestion doesn't even dignify a verbal answer, but Alec doesn’t relent, and Magnus speaks.

“I’m not staying here,” he says simply, his chin raised up in defiance.

The others - Jace, Izzy, and Clary - are gearing up and pretending that they don’t pay any attention to the conversation, but Alec has lived long enough with ⅔ of that group to know how nosy they are.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” Alec asks. “In private?”

Magnus nods and follows Alec to the hallway that’s luckily void of people and out of the earshot of the rest of their group.

“Could you please stay here, just this once?” Alec pleads. He knows he’s fighting a lost fight but he has to try.

“I am very capable of looking after myself,” Magnus argues. Alec doesn’t want to argue, he just wants Magnus to see the situation as it is.

“You saw the apartment. You saw the pictures he had of those Downworlders and you saw all the pictures he had of you,” Alec says and he can’t fight the shudder that travels down his spine at the memory. “He’s obsessed with you, he wants your mark and nothing will stop him.”

They have been working on a case the past few days. Several Downworlders have been found dead with their marks missing. This morning they had finally been able to track where they killer - a Nephilim researcher that had gone off the rails and taken his studies too far - lived. The rundown apartment had been filled with pictures of the deceased Downworlders, as well as a few they hadn’t seen before. They didn’t know if they hadn’t just found the bodies yet, or if they were people the man was yet to capture. The sight of the apartment had been horrible, but what had really made Alec’s blood run cold were the pictures of Magnus and his eyes, right in the middle of the creepy photo collage. 

The man had fled in a hurry, leaving his apartment behind as he escaped from them, but they had been able to get a hint about where he was staying now and where he had most likely kept his victims when he robbed them of their identity and life.

“I will stop him,” Magnus says confidently. “I will not let a man like that scare me. I won’t give him that power. This isn’t the first time I’m dealing with something like this, and even though we’re doing our best to change the world for the better, I am quite confident that this won’t be the last time either. I can handle this situation, and I want to be there.”

Alec looks at his husband sadly, knowing that Magnus was not going to give in. It wasn’t in his nature, and that stubbornness was one of the very things that Alec loved about him, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t hate it now.

“Alexander,” Magnus says when Alec doesn’t reply. He steps closer and lifts his hands up, pressing his palms on Alec’s chest and no doubt feeling the wildly beating heart underneath. “I will be fine.”

“You better,” Alec replies stubbornly and Magnus lets out a small laugh before he leans up to kiss Alec. The kiss is short and Magnus pats Alec’s chest twice before he steps away and takes his hand, leading him back to where the team is going over the details one more time.

“Magnus comes with us,” Alec tells them as they look up expectantly.

“Shocker,” Jace says, and Alec punches his shoulder.

-.-.-

Alec wonders what it is about abandoned warehouses that attracts the bad people.

Maybe it’s because there are plenty of those in New York, and maybe it is because they are one of the few places in the city where a person can be completely alone.

This one is not a big hall, but rather a building with a lot of smaller storage rooms for the people to rent. It looks like the place has been out of business for a while now if the layer of dust that coats every surface is anything to go by.

As they check more and more rooms it becomes clear why this specific bad guy chose this as one of his hiding places.

There are jars on the shelves, specifically labeled with a date and the kind of Downworlder the contents of the jar used to belong to.

In one room, right at the back of it, there is a frame with beautiful wings in it. Not unlike a butterfly’s - colorful and decorated by a complicated pattern. But these wings are almost as tall as Izzy, and Alec can see dried blood on the parts that once connected the wings to someone’s back.

Alec feels sick, and he can hear Clary gasp in shock.

So far it has been one long corridor with doors on both sides of it, so they haven’t needed to separate from each other. Alec can’t help but feel like they are walking into a trap though, as they near the door at the end of the corridor. He holds his bow tightly, an arrow ready to fly at the first glimpse of a threat. 

He’s walking side by side with Magnus, the rest of their group close behind, but as they get to the door he subtly steps in front of his husband, making sure that he’s the one to open the door.

He hears Magnus scoff but he doesn't say anything, and in his periphery Alec sees the glow of red magic Magnus summons into his palms, ready for the fight that’s most likely waiting for them on the other side of the door.

Alec looks back to the others to make sure they are ready and he pushes the door quickly open.

They all barge into the room, a bow, blades, a whip, and magic ready to attack. But as they take in their surroundings - a room about the size of the institute cafeteria - it looks to be empty. No windows and no door except the one where they came from.

Suddenly they hear a noise, and they don’t have time to react before they are trapped under a cage that fell from the ceiling. Everyone except Magnus.

He had been fast enough to move out of the way but as he summons his magic and tries to get the others free, there’s not even a hint of magic to be seen. Magnus looks to his hands and then to the others, confusion clear in his eyes.

That’s when they hear a voice.

“There’s no use,” the tall man says as he steps out from behind the door they had come from. Why did no one think to check behind the door? “Take a look at the ground, your powers won’t work there.”

The man must see the others looking for their steles, trying to draw runes on the bars separating them from the rest of the room because he continues. “And you won't be able to escape the cage. Do you think I was stupid enough to trap you in a cage that doesn’t resist angelic powers? Please, you underestimate me.”

“There’s a trap on the ground,” Magnus says, crouching down and looking at the symbols drawn to the floor. The symbols are almost the same shade of grey the floor is, and the weak lamps in the ceiling didn’t provide enough light for them to be seen. “A trap for all demon blooded. I can’t leave it or use my powers inside this trap.”

“I knew you would know what those symbols mean,” the man says and walks closer to Magnus.

Alec walks to the side of the cage that’s closest to Magnus and holds on to the bars, fighting against them to be let out but there seems to be no use. This is exactly what Alec feared.

“Leave him alone!”

“Oh but I have so much planned,” the man says, looking at Alec before turning his attention to Magnus who is standing tall again, not showing any kind of weakness even though he’s in a trap and in the mercy of a psychopath.

Alec wishes he’d tried harder to make Magnus stay behind.

“Your eyes are so fascinating,” the man continues talking to Magnus. “Sadly this trap can only prevent you from casting new spells and therefore can’t get rid of that glamour of yours. Why do you hide them away? I’d love to see them.”

“I only show my closest friends,” Magnus says the words Alec remembers hearing in Max’s rune ceremony only a few months ago. “Sadly we are not there yet. Locking me and my friends up doesn't really help you get there either.”

“I tried to ask nicely,” the man says, looking at the Shadowhunters before saying his next words. “Maybe fear will bring them out.”

The man walks to the cage, stopping right in front of Alec who’s still holding the bars. He keeps enough distance that Alec can’t sink his blade to the man. 

He could always try throwing it but he would risk losing his only weapon, since the side of the cage had hit his quiver when it fell down and sent the arrows to the floor, away from the cage. The man must have realised that this is the person who has the strongest connection to Magnus.

“I’m going to kill you,” Alec growls.

“Somehow I doubt it,” the man replies.

Alec doesn't expect Clary to speak.

“Everything is going to be fine Magnus,” she says calmly. “Just like when Valentine was in your loft, remember?”

That’s an oddly specific situation to bring out, and Alec thinks back to that day. Then he realizes.

Clary’s runes.

“I have faith, biscuit.” Magnus says, and the ‘in you’ is left unsaid. 

Jace must realise what Clary is talking about because he immediately goes for a distraction to give Clary the chance to do what she’s planning.

“Why are you so obsessed with Magnus?” He asks. “I hate to break it to you but he’s taken. I went to the wedding. It was beautiful.”

“I am not interested in him romantically,” the man argues, his attention on Jace. “It’s not every day a man can get his hands on a mark so unique. To a mark that’s origin is so unusual. I’m a collector and his eyes would definitely be a great thing to have in my collection.”

“Shut up,” Alec says and hits the bars, but it does nothing more than hurt his hands.

The man looks at him cockily and says, “Make me.”

A sound of a whip echoes in the room as Izzy wraps it around the man, trapping his arms to his sides so he can’t reach to his weapon. Izzy pulls him up to the bars and Alec brings his blade to the man’s neck.

“How about I do?”

“Then you all will be left here to rot,” the man says. “I’m the only one who can remove this cage and I’m the only one who can break the trap. Kill me and you’re dead too.”

“Magnus, now!” Clary yells from where she’s crouched down. There’s a bright rune on the floor of the warehouse and the ground shakes, a crack appearing to the cement and traveling all the way from the cage to where Magnus is standing, breaking the drawings on the ground.

Magnus acts fast, binding the man with magic and creating a cage of his own around him. Immediately after that he gets rid of the one that was holding his husband and friends hostage.

Alec walks to him quickly and wraps him into a tight hug.

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” he murmurs into Magnus’ shoulder.

“Told you,” Magnus says, even as his heart is still beating wildly.

-.-.-

They portal the man to the Gard and themselves to the Institute, and while the others go their own ways, Alec and Magnus head to Alec’s office.

Magnus expects Alec to head to his desk to wrap up a report for the Clave, but instead he sits down on the couch in the office, and Magnus follows.

Alec takes his hands to his and Magnus gives him time to say the things that are clearly bothering him.

“I don’t want you to feel like I didn’t trust you to handle yourself,” Alec says and looks from their hands to Magnus. “Like I felt that you weren’t able to protect yourself.”

“I know,” Magnus says honestly, squeezing Alec’s hands gently. “I know you’re not like that. I know your worry came from the heart and as much as I pretended to hate it, your protectiveness was really quite charming.”

“It was?” Alec asks, smiling and raising an eyebrow.

“Mhm,” Magnus replies, letting go of Alec’s hands to wrap his arms around Alec’s shoulders and to pull him closer, the next words being said against Alec’s lips. “Very attractive.”

Alec kisses Magnus with all the passion of a man who came close to losing the love of his life less than an hour ago and as he’s pushed down to the couch, Magnus must admit that - while he would not recommend them to anyone and he hates that they end up on them so often - these dangerous missions have their perks. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me from [tumblr](https://sugarandspace.tumblr.com) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/sugarandspace_)!


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